Chapter 6 - The Escaped Billionaire
The junior agent frantically explained that a heavily armed mercenary team had completely intercepted the federal transport van.
They had used military-grade explosives to flip the armored vehicle directly on the busy downtown highway.
Charles Whitmore had been forcefully extracted from the wreckage and was currently fleeing the city in a stolen helicopter.
Agent Miller cursed loudly, slamming his fist onto the metal table in a rare display of lost composure.
He immediately grabbed his tactical radio, ordering a complete lockdown of all airspace within a fifty-mile radius.
Maria pulled Oliver tightly against her chest, the brief moment of safety completely shattered by this terrifying news.
She knew Charles was a brilliant, ruthless man who would never stop hunting them down for destroying his life.
Agent Miller turned to Maria, his voice urgent as he ordered them to follow him to a secure underground bunker.
They sprinted through the labyrinth of the courthouse basement, surrounded by heavily armed federal agents for protection.
They reached a reinforced concrete safe room equipped with surveillance monitors and thick steel blast doors.
Agent Miller locked them inside, promising that this bunker could withstand a direct missile strike.
He left a female agent behind to guard them while he joined the massive city-wide manhunt.
For hours, Maria and Oliver sat in the cold, sterile room, watching the breaking news on a small television screen.
The news anchors reported chaotic scenes of police blockades, burning vehicles, and fleeing citizens across the city.
Charles Whitmore’s immense wealth had clearly bought him a private army willing to wage war against the government.
Oliver leaned his head against Maria’s shoulder, exhausted by the relentless terror of the day.
Maria softly stroked his hair, humming a gentle lullaby she used to sing to him when he was just a baby.
She swore a silent oath that she would die before she let that monster take her child away again.
Suddenly, the female agent guarding the door put her hand up, signaling for complete and absolute silence.
She drew her weapon and slowly backed away from the heavy steel door, her eyes wide with alarm.
The surveillance monitor showing the hallway outside abruptly flickered and went entirely black.
A terrifying, mechanical grinding noise echoed from the heavy locking mechanism of the safe room door.
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Someone was actively using a thermal cutting torch to burn entirely through the impenetrable steel barricade.
Maria grabbed a heavy metal chair, standing bravely in front of her son as the bright orange sparks began to fly.
